What is Education Worth?
This may seem like an arbitrary question, but how much is an education worth? The number scales upward from an Associate to a Bachelor’s, then from a Master’s to a Doctorate. Choices such as public versus private and in-state versus out-of-state further complicate the matter, right?
The answer is yes. And no.
It’s easy enough for someone to pick up the phone or use a computer to answer the question: “How much is this degree going to cost me?” Sure enough, you’ll be able to find tuition information for any college you look at, but does that really reflect the total cost?
When you decide to buy a car or a home, you understand that the face value of that investment isn’t its true cost. On top of the ticket price, there’s insurance, registration, and taxes that need to be considered, among other things. Sometimes it makes you question whether to make the purchase in the first place!
The average cost for one year of tuition and fees at a public, in-state college is $9,687 (Powell & Kerr, 2020). That’s for just one year! At Eastern Florida State College, you can earn an Associate degree for approximately $6,500*, then apply and earn your Bachelor’s for only $8,000* more! That’s two degrees at an estimated $14,500* over four years. But the most important takeaway is that your education will be worth so much more than $14,500 (and certainly worth more than what you would pay at a different college)!
That car or home I mentioned earlier may be affordable, but it also comes with a risk. As Florida residents, we know that natural disasters are all too common. By purchasing big-ticket items, we risk damage to them from hurricanes or floods, for example. Given the circumstances, they sometimes can’t be replaced. The same holds true for most investments, except education.
Education gives us the tools we need to start to a career or (at the very least) land a more desirable job. I once had a friend and mentor tell me, “You can lose everything and have nothing to your name, but you’ll never lose your education and your experience.” Education can bring you new opportunities and a refreshing sense of comfort you never could have dreamed of — and it can certainly open more doors than a $14,500 car or wardrobe!
The point? Education is hurricane- and flood-proof, and it can never leave you. Its return on investment is far more significant than its initial price. If you invest in higher education, the benefits will follow you for years to come. At EFSC, achievement and community meet to benefit those who take on the challenge of investing in their future, which is more than worth the price. Go Titans!
*These figures are approximate and do not reflect the cost of every program at EFSC.
References
Powell, F., & Kerr, E. (14 September, 2020). See the average college tuition in 2020-2021. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-college-infographic
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